US confirms 12-year military mission in Iraq ‘formally concluded’
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The United States and its coalition partners have formally concluded Operation Inherent Resolve in Iraq following the withdrawal of coalition forces and military equipment from Erbil Air Base, Pentagon chief spokesman Sean Parnell said Wednesday.
Parnell described the withdrawal as the conclusion of a 12-year campaign against the Islamic State group, also known as ISIL or ISIS, and a transition from a wartime coalition mission to an Iraqi-led security effort.
"This milestone reflects the success of a 12-year campaign that defeated ISIS as an organized military threat in Iraq and across the region," Parnell said in a statement.
Security responsibility shifts to Iraq
Parnell said Iraqi Security Forces, including Kurdish Peshmerga forces and other security units in the Kurdistan Region, will take the lead in securing Iraq and keeping remaining ISIS elements suppressed.
The United States will continue providing targeted training and intelligence support to Iraqi partners as Washington and Baghdad move toward a bilateral security relationship.
The coalition was established in 2014 after ISIS seized large areas of Iraq and Syria. Iraq declared victory over the group after regaining all territory it had controlled in the country in December 2017.
The US and Iraq agreed in September 2024 on a timetable to end the coalition's military mission in Iraq by the end of September 2026 and shift toward bilateral security cooperation.
US Central Command said the Combined Joint Task Force-Operation Inherent Resolve remains operational from its new headquarters in Jordan, while US forces continue counter-ISIS operations in Syria alongside coalition partners and the Syrian government.
